Are you a middle class couple who sleep apart? As trend for separate bedrooms takes off, we unpick whether it's the recipe for a perfect night's rest or a sign your marriage is doomed

The idea of sleeping in a separate bedroom from your partner used to be reserved for aristocrats or members of The Royal Family.

But that is no longer the case, according to writer Natasha Poliszczuk, who told The Times over the weekend how 'sleep divorcing' has 'been extended to the middle classes: it is now available to anyone who has enough space'.

She added: 'Separate rooms are becoming standard in the homes and marriages of Middle England', before explaining how a recent study of 2,000 adults in a relationship found one in six couples refused to share a bed.

Meanwhile, following the Times' article, Martin Lewis, the founder of Money Saving Expert, asked his 2.9million X followers in a poll, 'Do you and your live in partner/spouse sleep in the same or separate bedrooms?'.

The answer 'we share a bed' was selected by 70.9 per cent of the 82,058 people who voted. 'Different bedrooms' scored 14.8 per cent, while 'separate beds, same room' took 1.1 per cent of the votes.

Plenty of famous faces have also got behind the idea of a 'sleep divorce' - including Hollywood star Cameron Diaz , who's very happily married to rock star husband Benji Madden (pictured left). However, former glamour model Linda Lusardi (pictured centre right), 65, who has been married to husband Sam Kane for 25 years, isn't a fan of the idea

Plenty of famous faces have also got behind the idea of a 'sleep divorce' - including Hollywood star Cameron Diaz, who's very happily married to rock star husband Benji Madden.

So, is sleeping separately the key to making a marriage work? Experts are divided, highlighting different benefits for both preferences. Here, FEMAIL looks at the positives of each...

SLEEPING SEPARATELY

Sleep expert and board advisor at Dozy Sleep, Korina Burkhard, previously told MailOnline that people sleep better alone due to 'reduced disturbances from a partner and the ability to create an ideal sleep environment'.

The expert said: 'When sleeping alone, there's less chance of being disturbed by another person's movements or sounds. 

'Your sleep cycles are not interrupted. This allows the brain and body to progress through the essential stages of sleep fully. You rest better and restore better.'

Kora Habinakova, a sleep expert at Sleepseeker, told MailOnline that we also need to stop seeing nodding off alone as negative for a partnership. 

She said: 'A sleep divorce is a divisive topic and often people associate it with the crumbling of a relationship, however, this is not the case. 

'Sharing a bed with someone can often lead to a restless night's sleep, and a sleep divorce may actually be the key to helping your relationship. 

The royals, including the King and Queen (pictured yesterday), have a long tradition of retiring to their own bedrooms at night, with the late Queen and Prince Philip and the Prince and Princess of Wales also thought to have slept separately at points 

Happy apart: Although Tim Burton and Helena Bonham Carter eventually called time on their 13-year marriage in 2014; they had happily lived separately in neighbouring town houses during their relationship 

'A consistently poor sleep pattern can cause irritability, mood swings and impaired communication and problem-solving, all of which can put a strain on your relationship. 

'So, if you find yourself losing sleep due to you or your partner's habits, sleeping separately could be the perfect way to help both of you feel more rested and actually reduce conflict.'

Plenty of celebrities agree that nodding off alone - undisturbed by snoring, coughing, duvet stealing and other crimes against shut-eye - helps people get a better sleep.   

For instance, Hollywood star Cameron Diaz, 51, who's very happily married to rock star husband Benji Madden, 45, previously revealed that she thinks society should 'normalise' couples sleeping in separate rooms, and even separate houses. 

The actor shared her take on 'sleep divorce' in an episode of model Molly Sims' podcast in 2023 as they chatted about what they consider to be healthy lifestyles.

'We should normalize separate bedrooms,' said Diaz before explaining her reasoning with Sims and co-host Emese Gormley.

'To me, I would literally, I have my house, you have yours,' she confessed. 'We have the family house in the middle. I will go and sleep in my room. You go sleep in your room. I'm fine.'

'And we have the bedroom in the middle that we can convene in for our relations,' the mother-of-two concluded.

Doctor Foster star Suranne Jones and her husband Laurence Akers (pictured together at An Audience with Adele, London Palladium, November 2021)

Although Diaz was at pains to point out that she does in fact share a bed with Madden, she's not alone in her thoughts that a sleep divorce could futureproof relationship happiness.

Many members of the Royal Family have traditionally slept in separate rooms; with King Charles and Queen Camilla believed to retire to their own rooms late in the evening, as the late Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip once did. 

The Prince and Princess of Wales are also thought to have slept separately when they lived in Kensington Palace.

Actress Helena Bonham Carter and Tim Burton lived happily in separate houses for 13 years before their divorce in 2014 - residing in neighbouring London town houses. 

Ferne McCann also admitted earlier this year that she sleeps in a separate bed from her fiancé Lorri Haines. 

Speaking to OK! magazine, The Only Way Is Essex star admitted the arrangement means their sex life has taken a hit, but insisted that having their own beds was 'honestly perfect'.

She explained that the couple sleep in separate bedrooms to cope with their young daughter Finty's infrequent sleeping routine.

Doctor Foster star Suranne Jones also revealed in 2020 that she and her husband, screenwriter Laurence Akers, sleep apart. 

Susannah Constantine with her husband Sten Bertelsen in 2006; the TV stylist told MailOnline that the couple's snoring had seen them sleep separately - and that far from being detrimental to their relationship, it helped them live more harmoniously  

The 61-year-old TV stylist told MailOnline about the couple's difficulties sleeping in the same bed, saying they work 'with murder on our minds' after restless nights (Pictured, Susannah with tape on her mouth; a trick that can help with snoring by channelling breath through the nose)

Elsewhere, TV star Susannah Constantine admitted in 2023 to having a sleep divorce with husband Sten Bertelsen, saying an ongoing war over who snored 'the loudest and longest' had led them to separate beds. 

In an article for MailOnline, the stylist wrote how stemming nocturnal nuisances had helped 'fix' her marriage, saying: 'We've now thrown in the towel and retreated to separate rooms. 

'I know there's a stigma attached to this, but please don't get me wrong, I love my husband dearly.

She explained: 'My parents always slept in separate rooms and, as a teenager, I assumed it was because their marriage was on the rocks. But now I think it far more likely that my dad's snoring was to blame.

'When Sten and I first began our sleep divorce, I worried that our kids - aged 24, 22 and 20 - would also think it was the beginning of the end; but in truth, I told them, it was the snore storms that were putting a strain on the marriage. This was the fix, not the issue.' 

But what about intimacy? While many assume sleeping apart isn't conducive to a healthy sex life, Habinakova says sleep and sex are very different things. 

'There are many ways that you can maintain intimacy while implementing a sleep divorce, and many find that the divorce actually helps with intimacy, as each partner is more well-rested and less irritable. 

She advises: 'The main tip is to prioritize your time, this can range from having a meal or spending time in bed together before heading off to your separate beds. 

'Many couples find that they only need sleep divorce during the working week when life is a bit more hectic, and that returning to the same bed on the weekend when they have more leisure time is a good way to balance both sleep and intimacy.' 

There are other variations on the concept if you can't bear to be parted from your beloved; in Scandinavia, the popular separate duvet keeps couples in the same bed...but gives them a better night's sleep, killing any potential arguments over who's stealing a double duvet.

Scandinavians have long claimed a duvet each, often in the individual sleeper's preferred tog, leads to what we all dream of - a decent night's kip. 

SHARING A BED 

The topic was discussed on This Morning today, with former glamour model Linda Lusardi, 65, who has been married to husband Sam Kane for 25 years, saying: 'I do think, if you can sleep together, why not.'

However, despite a growing number of couples choosing to stay in separate rooms for a better night's kip, a 2022 study found adults who sleep together enjoy a myriad of physical and mental health benefits over those who are alone.

US researchers discovered that not only does sleeping alongside one another improve sleep quality, it also lowers the risk of depression, anxiety, stress and fatigue.

Couples who bunk together also feel closer to their partner emotionally, more secure in their relationship and have better overall life satisfaction.

Dr Michael Grandner, a sleep expert at the University of Arizona who led the study, said he was 'very surprised to find out just how important this could be'.

The research involved analysing data from 1,000 working-age men and women from Pennsylvania. They were asked detailed questions about their sleep, health and life quality in a month.

People who 'never' slept with a partner or spouse were more likely to suffer insomnia than those who did 'most nights'.

Couples who shared a bed also got better quality sleep and were less likely to suffer fatigue.

Sleeping alone was associated with higher depression scores, lower social support, and worse life and relationship satisfaction.

Writing in the paper, the team said: 'Sleeping with a partner/spouse is associated with better sleep quality and mental health overall.'

Previous research has suggested that sleeping alongside a romantic partner allows the body to relax and get longer deep sleep.

Rapid eye movement (REM) sleep plays an important role in emotional processing, hormone levels and healthy muscle and brain development. If this is regularly disrupted, it can lead to a host of health problems.

Brandon Fuentes, a researcher in the department of psychiatry at Arizona and co-lead author, said: 'Sleeping with a romantic partner or spouse shows to have great benefits on sleep health including reduced sleep apnea risk, sleep insomnia severity, and overall improvement in sleep quality.'

An excerpt from the study was published in an online supplement of the journal Sleep and was presented at a US sleep conference.

The topic was discussed on This Morning today, with former glamour model Linda Lusardi, 65, who has been married to husband Sam Kane for 25 years, saying: 'I do think, if you can sleep together, why not.'

She insisted: 'I do think you lose the connection with someone when you're not in the same room.'